The Charms of Ranch Life

Here are 21 guest ranches we recommend that promise to offer what Theodore Roosevelt first extolled in his 1885 Hunting Trips of a Ranchman: “The charm of ranch life comes in its freedom, and the vigorous open-air existence it forces a man to lead.

Diamond D Ranch

Stanley, IDHistorical Roots:1960Open: June through OctoberActivities:Trail rides, big game hunting camps, gold panning and fly-fishing in a private lakeOld West Lore:Another Frank Church Wilderness ranch near the Salmon River Mountains was that of China Polly and Charlie Bemis; after they married in 1894, the pioneers staked a mining claim in the area. China Polly lived here until her death in 1933, and today the Polly Bemis Ranch is a national historic site off of Big Salmon Road by way of Riggins, Idaho.

800-222-1269DiamondDRanch-Idaho.com

Ranger Creek Guest RanchShell, WYHistorical Roots: 1918Open:All YearActivities:Wilderness pack trips, trail rides, fly-fishing and six-gun target shootingOld West Lore:You can see historical Shell ranch structures at Old Trail Town in nearby Cody, such as the buffalo hunter’s cabin built on Shell Creek by Jim White and Oliver Hanna in 1880, and the first store in Shell, built in 1892.

307-765-4636RangerCreekRanch.net

Three Bars Guest RanchCranbrook, BCHistorical Roots:1991Open:June through SeptemberActivities:Tours of 1864 Fort Steele, trail rides, fly-fishing, river rafting and kid’s programOld West Lore:Cranbrook got its name from Cranbrook Farm, an 1886 ranch built at Joseph’s Prairie that was named by Col. James Baker for family property in England. Baker’s 1888 home is preserved at Baker Park in Cranbrook.

877-426-5230ThreeBarsRanch.com

K Diamond K Guest RanchRepublic, WAHistorical Roots:1961Open:All YearActivities:Trail rides, fishing on the San Poil River and cattle drivesOld West Lore:An 1896 gold strike earned this north central Washington town of Republic its first name, Eureka Gulch; panning for gold is a popular ranch activity among K Diamond K guests.

Old West Lore:Pittsburgh-born Walker Rankin founded his cattle ranch, the Quarter Circle URankin Ranch, in 1863. The ranch still has the barn where horses were tended when it was a stage stop for the overland mail during the 1870s.

661-867-2511RankinRanch.com

71 RanchDeeth, NVHistorical Roots:1877Open:All YearActivities:Cattle ranchhand activities, cattle drive weeks and trail ridesOld West Lore:Two years after Joseph Scott established this ranch in the Halleck Valley, Caleb Hank partnered up with him and eventually formed the Halleck Cattle Company; a great afternoon excursion is wandering around the tombstones of the original Halleck cemetery.

866-717-717171-Ranch.com

Wit’s End Guest RanchBayfield, COHistorical Roots:1859Open:May through OctoberActivities:Trail rides, cattle sorting, fly-fishing, hay rides and kid’s programOld West Lore:After John Patrick came to this region, he and his brother Washington decided to enlarge the trout ponds in the 1880s and open a private hunting and fishing lodge. When you throw your line into these “Chain O’Lakes,” you might land a 10-pound German Brown trout.

800-236-9483WitsEndRanch.com

Express UU Bar RanchCimarron, NMHistorical Roots:1849Open:All YearActivities: Big game hunts, trout fishing, sporting clay shoots and trail ridesOld West Lore:The UUBar was once part of the largest land grant in U.S. history, owned by Lucien B. Maxwell, who, along with his friend Kit Carson, established the ranch settlement of Rayado.

575-376-2035ExpressUUBar.com

French Broad Outpost RanchDel Rio, TNHistorical Roots:1993Open:March through NovemberActivities:Trail rides, team penning, cattle drive, river rafting and kid’s programOld West Lore: Back when this region was Big Creek Station, most 19th-century settlers raised cattle that they drove across the Smoky Mountains to sell in North Carolina.

800-995-7678

FrenchBroadRiver.com

Colorado Cattle Co. & Guest RanchNew Raymer, COHistorical Roots:1868Open:May through OctoberActivities: Cattle drives, cow doctoring and brandingOld West Lore:John Iliff set up his base camp for his cattle drives here in 1868, but the winter of 1886-1887 froze and starved his cattle, and he went broke. The 1880s sod house and barn of one homesteader who made the ranch a success, Leonard Biggs, is still used by the ranch to this day.

970-437-5345ColoradoCattleCompany.com

Tanque Verde Guest RanchTucson, AZHistorical Roots:1868Open:All YearActivities:Horseback rides into Saguaro park and guided walks through the Sonoran DesertOld West Lore:The land surrounding the seasonal river frequented by Pima Indians was cultivated as a cattle ranch by Mexican hacendado Emilio Carrillo.

866-413-3833TanqueVerdeRanch.com

Bonanza Creek Country RanchMartinsdale, MTHistorical Roots:1877Open: June through SeptemberActivities: Trail rides, cow herding, fishing and dips in nearby White Sulphur hot springsOld West Lore:The successful sheep enterprise run south of White Sulphur Springs by Norwegian Martin T. Grande inspired distant relative Nels Voldseth to move to the region. The Voldseths still work the ranch to this day.

800-476-6045BonanzaCreekCountry.com

Kay El Bar Guest RanchWickenburg, AZHistorical Roots:1909Open:October through MayActivities: Trail rides and cattle sortsOld West Lore:At 21, Romaine Lowdermilk staked his claim to this homestead and named the cattle ranch after his mother Katherine. Lowdermilk later earned fame singing cowboy tunes, including “Billy the Kid”and “Blood on the Saddle;”such cowboy ballads are popularly sung at many guest ranches to this day.

800-684-7583KayElBar.com

320 Guest RanchBig Sky, MTHistorical Roots:1898Open:All YearActivities: Trail rides, fly-fishing, hay rides and wildlife toursOld West Lore:The Gallatin River likely attracted Sam Wilson to this homestead in 1898, but many of Montana’s ranching antiques were saved by a later inhabitant, the state’s first female doctor, Caroline McGill; view them at the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University.

800-243-0320320Ranch.com

Prude RanchFort Davis, TXHistorical Roots:1896Open:All YearActivities: Trail rides in Davis Mountains, bird watching and a kid’s summer campOld West Lore: The working cattle ranch traces its roots back to Andrew G. Prude. The Prude family continues to run the ranch.

800-458-6232Prude-Ranch.com

Colorado Trails RanchDurango, COHistorical Roots:1960Open:June through SeptemberActivities: Trail rides, fly-fishing, trap shooting, rafting on the Animas River and kid’s programOld West Lore:Stop by Mesa Verde National Park and its Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, which were first discovered by two cowboys searching for stray cattle in 1888.

877-711-7843ColoradoTrails.com

Triangle C RanchDubois, WYHistorical Roots:1906Open: May through October; December through MarchActivities:Wind River trail rides and trips to Yellowstone National ParkOld West Lore:Since this historical site of Tie Hack Camp evolved into the headquarters for the Wyoming Tie & Timber Company, the ranch is located next to a memorial to those storied tie hackers who floated hand-hewn ties 100 miles down the Wind River to Riverton.

800-661-4928TriangleC.com

Long Hollow RanchSisters, ORHistorical Roots:1905Open:May through OctoberActivities: Trail rides, cattle drives, arena riding lessons, breakfast and dinner rides, and movie nightOld West Lore:The 1905 headquarters house of the Black Butte Land & Livestock Company has been redesigned to accommodate guests; you’ll reach the ranch on Holmes Road, named after company superintendent A.S. Holmes, who stayed on at the Long Hollow Ranch after the livestock company dissolved in 1918.

877-923-1901LHRanch.com

Coulter Lake Guest RanchRifle, COHistorical Roots:1897Open: All YearActivities:Trail rides, trout fishing, camp cook school and elk and deer huntsOld West Lore:After Oscar V. Coulter came to Rifle in 1897, the private recreation area he built for his family’s enjoyment grew into a ranch frequented by the Adolph Coors family.

800-858-3046CoulterLake.com

Grapevine Canyon RanchPearce, AZHistorical Roots:1982Open: All YearActivities:Trail rides, seasonal cattle work and cowboy cookoutsOld West Lore:Cattle have been run near the Apache stronghold of Grapevine Canyon since after the Civil War; one recorded battle took place in June 1885 at Sulphur Springs Ranch, during which cattle rancherMike Noonan was killed in an Apache horse raid.

800-245-9202GCRanch.com

Laughing Water RanchFortine, MTHistorical Roots:1988Open:May through OctoberActivities:Trail rides through Montana Rockies, trout fishing and whitewater raftingOld West Lore:The ranch, located only 20 miles from Canada, pays tribute to the region’s heritage as a corridor between Montana ranchers and their Canadian traders.